STEVE BRUCE seems to have been under pressure from the moment he was named Newcastle boss but heads into this Premier League clash with Wolves in desperate need of a victory.
The Magpies haven't claimed a win in all seven games so far this season and are languishing near the bottom of the table, with only goal difference keeping them out of the drop zone.
A lack of investment in this squad this summer, with a permanent deal for Arsenal loanee Joe Willock the only major transfer, has left the Geordie fans disillusioned once more.
So Bruce badly needs his team to get some more points on the board and the prospect of a relegation battle looms if they fail to turn draws into wins.
Wolves also made a poor start under new gaffer Bruno Lage, losing their first three in the league, but have picked up six points from their last three matches.
That hints at a resurgence, especially if star striker Raul Jimenez can get back among the goals after netting the winner at Southampton last weekend in a game where our man Mark's tip of under 1.5 goals came up.
The Mexican looks to be rediscovering his confidence after a horrific head injury and will fancy his chances of outwitting an unconvincing Magpies defence.
How the bookies view it
Newcastle's poor form makes them 9/2 outsiders with SBK but they look overpriced with Wolves hardly impressive under Lage. The home win is a best 7/10 with the same firm while the stalemate pays 33/10.
Recent head to head
The last five meetings between these sides have incredibly all ended in 1-1 draws, with a repeat here paying 17/2 at Mansionbet. Wolves won 2-1 at St James' Park in the match before that sequence of stalemates, after Newcastle had triumphed 1-0 at Molineux in 2017.
Both goals came in the last 10 minutes in the Molineux meeting last term, with Jimenez firing Wolves ahead before Jacob Murphy hit a last-minute leveller (below)
Players to watch
It's hard to look past Jimenez for a Wolves goal now he's off the mark for the season. The Mexican is 5/4 with BetVictor for anytime scorer and 7/2 at Betway to break the deadlock.
Allan Saint-Maximin is the one ray of light for Bruce (below) and Newcastle fans at the moment, with his pace and power causing opposition defences huge problems. The Frenchman is 4/1 with Unibet for anytime scorer and that looks overpriced.
Anything else catch the eye?
A lack of firepower has been the biggest problem for Wolves this season and under 2.5 goals has come up in all of their Premier League games this season. With Newcastle also struggling that looks a good shout here and the odds are decent at 15/16 with SBK.
The half-time draw has come up in the last three meetings so that could also be worth a shout at here at 11/8 with SBK. The last four games between the sides have also seen fewer than nine corners and that makes under 9.5 corners a decent option at 11/10 with McBookie.
This English Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Newcastle United will be played on Oct 2, 2021 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Newcastle United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.